When South Putnam and Class A top ranked Lutheran lock horns Friday night, it will have been 371 days since the two teams last played in the sectional tournament.
On Oct. 21, 2022, Lutheran knocked off South Putnam, 42-0, in the second round of the Class A, Sectional 47 tournament and South Putnam coach Chuck Sorrell has looked forward to another opportunity against the Saints.
He and his team now have it, as the Saints (8-0) invade Wildman Field for a date with the Eagles (9-1) Friday.
Sorrell has talked about the possibility of facing the Saints since the beginning of the season, and the Eagles earned it after knocking off North Central (Farmersburg), 52-0 last week in the sectional opener. Lutheran drew the bye and last played on Oct. 6 when it defeated Speedway, 28-9.
The winner of Lutheran and South Putnam will take on the winner of Covenant Christian (6-3) and Riverton Parke (5-5) in next week's sectional title tilt.
While he is ready to see his team play Lutheran, Sorrell does with it was under a different format.
"Well, we would love the sectional or tournament to be seeded so the best teams play in championships. We know winning titles runs through Lutheran. We played well last Friday and were able to clean up a few things on both sides of the ball," Sorrell told The Putnam County Post.
The Saints have not lost a game since Nov. 6, 2020, posting back to back 15-0 seasons and capturing the Class A state title.
Lutheran comes in averaging 43.5 points per game and allows an average of 10 points per season.
The offense is paced by running back Braydon Hall, who is averaging 151 yards a game on the ground and 19 touchdowns. Quarterback Jackson Willis is 87-of-126 for 1,634 yards and 24 touchdowns through the air and has rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown.
"They run the ball extremely well this season, so our front six has to slow the run and deep guys stay deep versus the pass," Sorrell said.
In addition, Sorrell acknowledges his defensive secondary will have to be up for the challenge from Willis.
"We have to stay patient on the back end and not be overly aggressive versus the run, so they don't play action us and complete deep passes," Sorrell said.
As for waiting a year to play the Saints again, Sorrell said it is vital his team stay in the moment and not get caught up in outside distractions.
"We have to play our game. We can't do other player's jobs. We put that on the scouting report each week, Do Your Job," Sorrell said.
And, he hopes to find out what happens if Lutheran is in a tight game or trailing.
"They are good and know how to win, but have not been pushed too much this year. What happens if they get down a score," Sorrell said.
